BAIRD, Leslie
| Service Number: | VX50190 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 5 March 1941, Royal Park, Victoria |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | General / Motor Transport Company/ies (WW2) |
| Born: | Melbourne, Victoria, 17 June 1908 |
| Home Town: | Port Melbourne, Port Phillip, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: | Ballarat Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial |
World War 2 Service
| 5 Mar 1941: | Enlisted Private, VX50190, Royal Park, Victoria | |
|---|---|---|
| 5 Mar 1941: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (Army WW2), Private, VX50190 | |
| 16 Feb 1942: | Imprisoned Malaya/Singapore | |
| 12 Dec 1945: | Discharged Private, VX50190, General / Motor Transport Company/ies (WW2) | |
| 12 Dec 1945: | Discharged Australian Military Forces (Army WW2), Private, VX50190 |
Help us honour Leslie Baird's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Sharyn Roberts
Text provided by Alycia R.Watson
Les worked as a carpenter and driver for the 2/4th Reserve Motor Transport Company. He is mentioned in Anthony Wege's book "We Left our Trucks at Changi's Gate."
With the Fall of Singapore Les became a POW and was eventually assigned to "A" Force. He was sent to work on the Thai-Burma railway line at both Tamarkan (Thailand) and Thanbyuzayat (Burma).
Les kept scrappy notes during his imprisonment, hidden in the false bottom of his water bottle. Years later he pieced together these scraps into a very readable diary. A copy of the diary is available in the Research Centre of the Australian War Memorial. File 419/5/37 1-3.
Les was a friend of Keith Ernest Watson VX50027. I would be pleased to receive any information from Les' descendants. My email is [email protected]
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